Go to any Filipino kid’s birthday party, and you’ll find Zest-O juices lining the cooler.

But long before Zest-O became a household name, its Chinese-Filipino owner Alfredo Yao and his family struggled to make ends meet.

At 17, he started his own printing business. Eventually, he was successful enough to send all of his siblings to school.

He never could’ve imagined that Zest-O would one day make up 80% of the juice market in the Philippines.

This is the story of Alfredo Yao, whose hard work and creativity changed the Filipino juice industry forever.

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🀄 The struggle to survive

Yao’s father was a first-generation Chinese immigrant. He passed away when Alfredo Yao was 12 years old. Yao then had to help his mother feed his 5 younger siblings.

So he and his mother sold any items they could find. “I don’t know how to explain how hard it is, looking for 3 meals a day,” he said.

He briefly lived with an uncle who would host mahjong sessions. Yao would often listen to the men talking business while playing mahjong.

For a while, Yao’s uncle helped pay for his studies at a Philippine university called Mapua Institute of Technology. He loved studying, but had to drop out at 17 when the funds ran out.

He’d sleep on cardboard boxes near a packaging company he worked at.

But Yao wanted to do more. His cousin, who worked at a printing press, encouraged him to go into the printing industry.

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😬 Taking a leap of faith

In 1960, at the age of 17, Yao started his own printing business. His mother got a loan from the Rizal Financing Corporation, that would be worth $6,800 today.

“My mom was telling me, ‘Son, this money is our whole life.’ I said, ‘I’ll try. I’ll do my best.’”

Yao knew that he wanted to work for himself, even if each day was a struggle.

He named the company Solemar Commercial Press after his mother. He focused on making cellophane wrappers for biscuits and candies.  

Yao bought the printing machines on an installment plan, working as both machine operator and salesman.

Eventually, he made enough money to send his siblings to school.

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💡 The winning idea

In 1979, 36-year-old Yao went on a business trip to Europe. Little did he know, his life was going to change forever.

He discovered ‘Doypack,’ a sealed bag made of plastic and aluminum. It could stand on its own, ready to be filled with his drink of choice!

He brought it back to the Philippines…but no juice manufacturers were interested.  

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🧃 A recipe for success

Still, he knew he was onto something.

So he asked a former client, who worked at an American juice company, to help him perfect his juice recipe.

He also asked a friend, Mon Dellosa, to design the drink’s packaging.

Dellosa named the drink ‘Zest-O,’ after citrus fruit peels. And the O at the end made the drink sound fun for kids to say out loud!

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🍊 No mess, no stress

In 1980, Yao spent his days in the kitchen, filling doypacks with orange juice.

It was an instant hit! Filipino moms loved packing their kids’ lunchboxes with these convenient juice packs.

And the kids loved the packaging, since their drinks stayed cold up to break time and beyond!

In 2000, Yao introduced other drinks, like Zest-O Dalandan and Zest-O Calamansi. They’re now a staple at any celebration.

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🥳 Here and now

Since then, Zest-O has opened factories in Indonesia, Thailand, and Myanmar.

The company also exports mango purées to China, the US, Europe, and many other places.

But Alfredo Yao didn’t stop at juice. He expanded his portfolio to the Philippine Business Bank, and other ventures in chemicals, toiletries, and real estate.

As of 2023, Yao’s net worth was at $295M.

But Yao never forgot his roots. Today, he runs the Alfredo M. Yao Foundation, helping struggling students get the education they deserve.

Alfredo Yao may have had the most humble of beginnings. But his hard work has built a brand that Filipinos will love for generations to come.